HOSPITAL security guards are being verbally abused by smokers for telling them to leave the premises.

The guards face at least 10 incidents a day – or 3,000 a year – across North Wales.

They face a barrage of bad language and intimidating behaviour from patients, relatives and other visitors who gather outside hospital buildings to smoke.

Hospital rules say lighting up is banned anywhere on the premises, including car parks.

But security staff say smokers are still posing a problem across the North Wales NHS Trust, including Wrexham Maelor Hospital and Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan, a dozen community hospitals, clinics and dental clinics.

Hospital officials fear smoke drifting into a ground-floor resuscitation room in the A&E department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, in particular, will be harmful to patients and staff.

Even expectant and new mums gather to smoke outside the maternity unit at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.

Officials believe smokers huddling outside in nighties, pyjamas and dressing gowns can be unsightly – one man is known to have been semi-naked and wearing a colostomy bag.

Security manager Steve Jones has four guards at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, with one on duty at a time.

He said: “Patients, relatives and visitors can become verbally aggressive to staff when politely asked to move away from buildings to smoke elsewhere.

“We are all too often sworn at, leaving security guards upset and angry.”

However, he said nine out of 10 smokers do apologise and agree to smoke off hospital grounds when they are politely asked to move by security staff.